sleep, wake, dream, break
by ZoraAngel
Summary: Zelda, a university student and daughter of a prominent CEO, finds her life changed after a visit to Hyrule General Hospital, where she encounters a boy who has been asleep for almost seven years. And dark clouds are gathering...Modern AU, Zelink.
1. sleep

_sleep, wake, dream, break_

**Chapter One**

**

* * *

**

She heard the too-loud clack of heels as she strode across the polished floor.

"Good morning!" a cheerful blonde greeted. Another, less-enthused, woman sat beside her, speaking on the phone whilst resting her chin on a closed fist. "Welcome to Hyrule General Hospital. How can I help you?" the blonde continued.

"Hello-" she quickly glanced at the receptionist's name tag. "-Ilia. My name is Zelda Daphnes. I believe I am to be shown around the hospital."

Ilia's smile faltered slightly upon hearing the name, but remained otherwise unfazed. "Of course Miss Daphnes, we've been expecting you." There was a clatter as she hurriedly typed something on the computer. "Our chief of medicine will be down shortly," she said, offering an apologetic smile. "In the meantime, can I get you some tea...or a coffee?"

Zelda saw how busy they were, declined, and sat on a hard plastic chair in the waiting room. She smoothed down her deep plum skirt and silk blouse, wondering why her father couldn't have just inspected the hospital himself. She may not be as important as a CEO, but she had lectures to attend if she wanted to do well in university, instead of running all of her father's errands.

"Zelda Daphnes, I presume?"

She looked up, noticing a woman with a long white coat and stethoscope, and rather eccentrically, a pair of scuffed combat boots. "I'm Dr Impa," she said, holding out her hand. Zelda took it, and was surprised to find herself being hauled to her feet. She had been expecting a handshake.

"Yes, but please call be Zelda," she said. She noticed that, despite this doctor's white hair, pulled back into a slick ponytail, her face was relatively unlined.

"Well then, Zelda, I shall be escorting you around these hallowed halls today," Dr Impa said, notably forgetting to mention her status as chief of medicine. Zelda suspected it was a relatively recent appointment. "Come along then," said the doctor, beckoning.

She found herself ushered into a lift. "And how is your father? Taking his heart meds I hope."

Zelda nodded. "He looked well, last I saw him. He said he's taken a liking to salads."

The corner of the doctor's mouth curved upwards. "An apple a day..."

Zelda had judged the woman to be a brusque to begin with, but saw in that look that she held a genuine concern for her patients. It was easy to become hardened, or jaded, with so many years in the medical profession, but evidently she had not. Instantly, Zelda felt her respect for the woman increase.

Zelda stared at the immaculately white corridors, every corner exposed by harsh fluorescent lighting. Nurses and orderlies in blue rushed from room to room, striding purposefully. She likened them to waves breaking against the walls, relentless as they bore their patients along in the tide.

She took a few hesitant steps forwards. It was not in her nature to be hesitant. She had been raised to be poised, collected and confident. She lifted her chin, pulled her shoulders back and continued onwards. She would never show it, but she felt lost in this world.

"Doctor!" a man in dark blue called out. "Can you look over this chart for me?"

"Can it wait?" Dr Impa asked, gesturing to Zelda.

"It's Agitha Thripp. Complications from spider venom poisoning."

Impa gave an exclamation. "Again?" She hurried over, telling Zelda she would only be a moment.

Zelda didn't relish the thought of being left alone in a place like this. She felt like she would only get in the way, and so looked for an appropriate out-of-the-way place in which to wait. Then she saw a sign.

_INTENSIVE CARE -_

She wandered towards it, more drawn by the word _care_ than the other, less promising word. Beneath the sign was a sticker indicating that Patient HL93541's room lay in the direction of the arrow as well. Curious, despite herself, she found herself moving further into the ward, passing some widely opened doors, pausing in a few windows, then through one door that was closed and marked with the same identification number as the sign.

She took in a sharp breath.

The patient was around her age, though the muscle wasting made him look like a boy, lost amongst the sheets. His hair, a muted shade of blonde, was on the verge of shoulder-length. His face was open and relaxed. He could have only been sleeping had it not been for the complicated equipment surrounding him.

He looked familiar, like a friend of a distant cousin, this sleeping boy. Surely she knew him from somewhere. Why else would she be feeling so comfortable in a stranger's room?

"He's been in a coma for the past six years or so," someone said. Zelda, startled, found herself looking at a petite nurse with long red hair pulled into a loose bun. The nurse flicked through the patient's chart. "I'd just transferred here when they brought him in. Poor lad, we haven't been able to track down his family."

"Oh..." was all Zelda managed to say.

The nurse gave her a speculative look. "You wouldn't happen to know the patient, would you?"

"Ah...no. I'm just being shown around. I'm Zelda," she explained, extending a hand.

The redhead's face brightened. "Malon," she replied, giving the proffered hand a hearty shake.

Malon brushed stray hairs off of the patient's forehead, and Zelda noted that the gesture was quite affectionate.

"You said he has no family," Zelda began, glancing at the life-support system. "Who pays for...all this?"

The nurse gave her a considering look, as if she was trying to decide how much to tell. "It's funny you should ask. The hospital receives an anonymous payment every month that covers all of his medical costs."

At that moment, Dr Impa walked in, looking relieved. "I was just wondering how I might explain to Mr Daphnes that I lost his daughter." But she didn't seem too displeased.

"I'm sorry. I seemed to find myself wandering into intensive care." Zelda said. She glanced again at the boy, and felt her breath hitch with unfounded and unreasonable concern until the ECG measured a new heartbeat.

A sly expression crossed the doctor's face, one that Zelda didn't see. "A shame. A wasted life," Dr Impa muttered.

"He could still wake up," Malon said gently.

Impa timed her sigh to perfection. "Perhaps. There are still signs of neural activity, though they are weak. He has until the end of the month to pull it together."

"What?" This startled exclamation came from both Zelda and Malon.

"You see, the anonymous monthly payments of which Nurse Malon spoke-" the nurse flushed guiltily. "-ceased last month. We had no way of contacting the person. Perhaps he or she ran into financial difficulty, or perhaps they gave up hope. The hospital made the extraordinary decision to continue life support for another month, expecting that the payment may be late. Needless to say, without proper funding, we will have to disconnect the machines."

Zelda drew in a sharp breath. Truly, the world of Hyrule General Hospital was cutthroat.

She looked at the boy on the bed, tubes and wires running in all directions. She felt connected to him somehow, as if one of those wires was also strapped to her wrist.

"_A storm is coming Princess. One that drags clouds across the sun and puts out the stars," says a harsh, bitter voice._

"_You think this has escaped my notice?" says another voice, her voice._

_She can see a window, and through the window, the sky. It is clear, for now, save for the grey clouds hovering on the very edge of her vision._

_They are distant, but they frighten her..._

Zelda blinked, confused. What was that? Her eyes darted about the room. There was no window nearby. There was nothing to be afraid of, she was in a hospital for goddesses' sake! She thought she had grown out of these vivid daydreams.

Malon had her hand on her shoulder, steadying her. Impa was gazing at her intently, her head cocked to the side. "Miss Daphnes? Are you alright?"

Zelda forced herself to smile and turn her thoughts back to the problem at hand, funding for intensive care. These people probably thought she was a little odd, what with wandering off in the middle of a tour, finding out the life story of a stranger, and having daydreams to boot!

"I...I must speak with my father," she finally said. "I'm sure he will be more than willing to make a contribution towards a few refurbishments." Her father was grateful to the hospital for saving his life, though evidently not grateful enough to come down in person. She was certain she could persuade him to channel a little more money into this particular ward.

With a few curt words of farewell she took her leave, glancing back only once to hear the reassuring blip of another successful heartbeat.

The receptionist, Ilia, was on the phone as she passed, but waved her goodbye.

* * *

**A/N - Hello everyone and welcome to my latest attempt at entering the world of the Legend of Zelda fandom! Let me know what you think;)**

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda. I do own copies of OoT and TP though, which makes me happy.


	2. wake

_sleep, wake, dream, break_

**Chapter Two  
**

* * *

Zelda lived in a reasonably-sized apartment in Hyrule Castle City, three floors up from a curiosity shop that purported to sell, of all things, bottled poes. She wasn't sure of the legitimacy of the trade, but nevertheless tried to keep on good terms with the owner, who gave her (and a great many other people) an unsettled feeling.

"I'm off!" she called, for her housemate's benefit. No answer. "Saria?"

_'...that tensions are building between the west and the south, with reports indicating that the Gerudo, who have retained their sovereignty for-"_

Zelda walked over to the television and switched it off. "Saria!" she called again. The younger girl must have left before her. She quickly threw a sandwich together and rummaged through the kitchen for snacks, managing to excavate an apple and a muesli bar, then tossed the lot into her bag and headed downstairs.

"Good morning!" she said brightly to the shopkeeper as she passed through.

There was a pause. "...Indeed."

This was the usual response, accompanied by a gaze that Zelda felt looked into her very soul.

Despite the fact that she thought she was late, Zelda made it to her first lecture with time to spare. A couple of people were there early, including Ruto. Zelda was on fairly good terms with her, though the girl acted a little spoiled sometimes. It was probably well-founded though, as she was a Princess of sorts from a region of Hyrule that had retained sovereignty, Zora's Domain.

"Ruto," she greeted.

"Oh, Zelda!" The reply was almost mournful.

"What's wrong?" _This time?_ she added privately.

"Oh, well, you know, have you been watching the news lately?"

She shrugged. "I haven't really had the time-"

"Well! My father has told me not to come home at term break! Apparently the desert barbarians are making some noise on the border, and I _so_ wanted to spend our little week off swimming and getting tanned. I mean, look how _pale_ I am!" Ruto cut in.

Zelda managed not to say anything about the fact that the chances of the pale-skinned princess ever getting a tan were slim to none, owing to her Zora heritage, and instead offered a few words of comfort.

"...besides, I'm sure you could get a nice snow tan at Snow Peak, if it comes down to it," she finished, patting the girl's shoulder. Ruto seemed to brighten up at this.

The lecturer arrived eventually, a comfortable-looking man named Rauru. He was getting on in his years, so his face was flushed red from climbing the stairs. He had lobbied (unsuccessfully) several times for a staff elevator, but never left his post because he loved teaching ancient history.

He cleared his throat impressively. "We will begin with the three known relics of the Age of Shadow. Darunia, name them."

"The Sword, the Harp and the Gauntlet," the large boy said nervously.

"And their owners?" Rauru asked.

Zelda took the opportunity to cut in. "The Sword of the Hero, whose name is lost to us, the Harp of the Princess, under the guise of a shiekah warrior, and the Gauntlet of the Gerudo King."

"Yes indeed, and you are named after the Princess, are you not?"

Zelda nodded. "My mother has an interest in ancient history."

"Right, right. Miss Ruto, your highness, the name of the Gerudo King please?"

* * *

Zelda knew exactly why she'd returned for another visit, and it wasn't to see the new hospital wing her father was having named after him. Despite her friendliness last time, Ilia greeted her without recognition as she signed the visitor's book.

When she entered Patient HL93541's room she saw the young, red-haired nurse again. She slowed before entering, scrambling for a name before remembering with relief.

"Malon," she said softly at the door.

The nurse looked up, her inquiring expression collapsing into a smile. "Miss Zelda, come in!" She placed something metal on the bed and came to meet her, grasping her hands warmly. "I'm glad you came. I've been wanting to thank-you for what you did for him," she said. There was no question as to who the 'him' was.

Zelda waved away the gratitude. "It was more my father. He has the money." she said quickly.

Malon shook her head. "But you convinced him to part with it."

* * *

"Saria! I'm home!" Zelda called. "SARIA!"

The girl in question appeared at her elbow. "There's no need to yell." She blinked up at her with large, green eyes.

Zelda looked at her roommate, then _really_ looked at her.

"Saria...your hair..."

Saria grinned, tugging on a tuft of deep green. "Do you like it?"

"It's very..." Zelda began uncertainly. She sighed and covered her face. "Oh goddesses, I'm living with a punk!" She peered out through her fingers, watching as Saria pulled a very interesting face. "I mean, not only do I live above a man who sells ghosts-"

"I'll have you know Mr Poe approves of my new look. We had a lovely chat," she said, still playing with her hair.

"I suppose he offered you tea?" Zelda prompted.

Saria shook her head. "Nope. Just some interesting potion.. Tasted awful."

* * *

"What's that you're humming?" Zelda asked, enchanted by the tune.

"Oh! Just something my mother used to sing around the house. I think there were even words, once," Malon replied.

"It's comforting," she said. It reminded her of lazy summer afternoons, and stalks of wheat bending gently in the breeze. She made a mental note to go out to the country some time soon, maybe to the refurbished Lon Lon Ranch.

"You know, some coma patients wake up with memories of people talking, even singing, around them. Maybe, on some level, this patient can hear us as well," Malon told her, resuming the song.

At the nurse's careful use of the words, 'this patient,' Zelda realised that neither of them knew his name.

"Perhaps we should give him a name, for convenience's sake," she suggested.

"You're right. I've been calling him The Patient for six years, capital letters and everything," Malon admitted. "Maybe something knightly, like Theodore...or Rusl?"

"Hmm, he looks more like a Lindon, or a Lincoln to me."

"I like Lincoln, but let's just shorten it to Link. A bit less formal that way."

Zelda considered, tilting her head to the side. Hearing that name was strange, as if it hung in the air before them, ready to fall into place.

_Link._

"It suits him," she said finally.

* * *

"You cut Link's hair, didn't you?" Zelda noted.

Malon was standing by the bed head, making copious notes. "T'was getting a bit long. I think it looks better short on him." Her ears were beginning to flush a delicate red.

Zelda smiled at the obvious affection Malon had for the patient she had never spoken with. "Honestly, have you really been here for six years?"

The nurse rolled her eyes. "Goddesses, has it been that long already?"

"Do you mind if I ask how old you are? You seem so young." Zelda felt that she knew the girl well enough by now to ask.

Malon grimaced, replacing the chart. "I'm 24."

"You don't mind me saying this do you? You seem so young to be working here," Zelda said.

"I left school at sixteen, did a course for a couple of years, got accepted here at Hyrule Gen, and I've been here ever since. That's my story," Malon said, shrugging.

"Amazing! Here you have a job already, and I'm just starting out at uni..."

"I've got a good four or five years on you, young miss. You'll be out changing the world soon enough," said Malon. "For me, I'm just glad to be changing his world, even just a little bit." She sighed. "I remember when he first came here."

Zelda leaned forward in her chair, her interest piqued. "Do you know what happened, I mean, to put him in the coma?"

The nurse looked a little disheartened. "I've read his chart often enough, and it just says something along the lines of _unknown suspected head trauma_. It's possible he was in some kind of traffic accident, but he had no other injuries that would indicate that._"_

Zelda frowned. "Not even Dr Impa knows?"

"All we know is that he at least isn't brain dead, and that's what's been keeping him on the machines," Malon explained.

"Well, it's a very nice haircut."

* * *

The first thing she always saw when she entered the ward was the clock. It hung crookedly on the wall, marking time for someone whose time had been frozen. She only usually stayed for an hour when she came to visit, and it was all she could spare.

Zelda sat on a chair facing the bed, thinking about what Malon had said about coma patients hearing sounds around them. Unbidden, the opening chords of a lullaby her mother used to play to her drifted into her mind.

She sniffed. It was absurd, to sing a lullaby to someone she wanted to wake up, but somehow, she was already humming the tune.

She glanced up at the clock again. It was time to go. She left, still humming, failing to notice the twitching of Link's fingers, as if they played some unknown instrument.

* * *

"Zelda! Zelda!" Malon called. She turned around immediately, noticing the mix of anxiety and excitement in her normally placid tone. Without waiting for a reply, the redhead grabbed her arm and led her back into the ward at speed.

Cornflower blue.

A pair of confused eyes blinked back up at her, the mouth moving as if to shape long-forgotten words. She had always wondered what colour his eyes were.

Malon was pressing buttons and presumably paging someone. The flurry of activity was disturbing the boy, whose eyes were beginning to dart around in confusion. A sound emerged from his throat, a low groan or a rasping scream.

* * *

**A/N - Thank-you to all those who read and reviewed.**

**The lines between passages in this chapter are supposed to indicate that some time has passed, months, weeks, days (etc).**

**Please enjoy, and let me know if you did!  
**


	3. dream

_sleep, wake, dream, break_

**Chapter Three  
**

* * *

Faces. Swimming in and out of focus.

Light. Shoved into his eyes until they watered. He squeezed them shut, hiding behind the darkness and calm and quiet...

And someone was shaking him. He opened his mouth, tongue slow to form the words he wanted. Sounds rolled from his throat, and unable to shape them properly, they remained unformed.

_Stay with us now,_ a cool, authoritative voice. He evaded it, already feeling himself slipping back to the floating state of being that was normality. In the distance he could hear a familiar chain of notes, low and calming, and felt as if he were listening to Time. As it gradually enveloped him, he saw the frantic chaos of beginning and the soft puttering-out of the end. He barely noticed the thin tendril of music threading its way into the weave of the song. Soft and lulling, it slipped between the notes until all he heard was this new song. He fought, struggled, as it took firm hold of him and pulled him up, all the way up until his eyes watered once again in the bright lights of before.

He discovered that he could not do much more than move his eyes. His attempt to lift his head resulting in little more than a brief, quivering tension in the front and sides of his neck. So he stole glances as far as his vision would allow, seeing things he could not understand, nor comprehend. Figures rushed all around him. _This is blue, _he told himself, looking at the colour many of them were swathed in. _This is red_, he thought, as the hair, pulled back from a pale and open face, tumbled free of its bindings.

_This is life. I am here. I am...who?_ Fear made him cold. He felt an uncomfortable drumming in his chest, spurred on by the great, gasping breaths he sucked into his lungs, an impossible void that he couldn't seem to fill. The blue figures around him began rushing around faster, faster, shouting. Loud.

Because he could remember nothing. Nothing at all except the song that called him to dreamless sleep, and even that was fading. Struggling, he grasped for it, for it was familiar even though he knew it would drag him all the way down this time.

'_Orderly! Hold his legs! You there, hold him down!'_

Now there was weight on his chest. Pressing down. Suffocating. Dimly, he heard a loud crash, and the tinkling of glass as it rained down on the polished floor.

'_But he shouldn't have the strength!'_

And then...

_This is violet,_ he thought, startled by a solemn and reassuring gaze, the warm, slender hand upon his arm. Calm and benevolence flowed into him, and he finally felt like he could breathe again. His struggles ceased. His muscles disengaged with a painful twang as he fell back onto the bed. Through this, eyes never left the girl's face, tracing the line of her jaw, held tight with tension and worry, the slight knit at her brow, and once again, those eyes. They seemed too large for her face, the colour so intense that they scarcely seemed real. _Courage,_ they seemed to say, _Courage._ Then she blinked, breaking the spell.

_'I don't know what you're doing Miss Daphnes, but keep doing it,' _a woman said, moving into view.

The girl turned towards the source of the voice, dark blonde hair falling over her shoulder. _'Okay,'_ she breathed in reply. Then the woman turned to a woman beside her and he heard a barrage of sound, words he did not understand.

_'Hello there,'_ said the girl. _'You may not know it, but we've been waiting for you.'_

The lights were bright, though not as bright as before.

* * *

Zelda wasn't sure what she was feeling. Relief, so intense it made her giddy. Amazement that she was here when it happened. Or perhaps fear. Fear of the unnatural strength the boy had shown when he shouldn't have been able to move.

She had discussed it with Malon, what it would be like if Link woke up. The nurse had admitted that she would be surprised if he did, but that she often thought of it. He would have no strength of course, being a long term case, with an even longer road of extensive therapy ahead of him.

When the orderly had been flung away as he held Link down, crashing into a cart of glass vials, there had been a moment of disbelief and shock around the room. Zelda, hovering on the edge of the scene, was frightened by the sudden violence. Then the boy had thrashed in such a way that his gaze fell upon her, and she, drawn by the pain and confusion she saw there, had immediately waded into the fray.

And so she sat on the side of his bed, stoking his arm and murmuring reassurances, while Dr Impa ordered tests and scans to be carried out, EEG's and CT's and other names which went straight over her head.

"I need Navi in here too," Impa muttered. "Page her, will you?" Another nurse, who was not Malon, nodded and hurried off.

Minutes passed, and Malon rushed into the ward again. "Doctor," she said hurriedly, "We should move him."

Dr Impa nodded absently, looking at the patient's chart. "With restraints," she amended, obviously remembering the way the orderly hit the cart. The arm beneath Zelda's palm tensed, and she wondered at the strength she felt there.

* * *

"You sound done in my girl!" her father bellowed down the phone line. She pictured him now, neat salt-and-pepper moustache contrasting quite shockingly with his boisterous manner.

"Long day," Zelda explained.

There was a crackling silence. He expected her to go on.

"I was at the hospital."

"Again? To inspect the work I presume? And how is the Noah Daphnes wing shaping up?"

Zelda blinked. Had it been that long since she last called? "Daddy...er, dad, that was finished a couple of months ago. It looks very good though, and I'm sure the people there appreciate your generosity."

Saria chose that moment to wander past, pulling a face when Zelda mouthed the word _father._

"You want a job there then? You know, I changed my major a few times back in the day! There's nothing wrong with a little indecision...I mean, history is all very well and good, but will it pay the bills?" her father said, completely missing the point.

Zelda shook her head, despite the fact that he couldn't see her. She chose to ignore the obvious barb about her chosen degree. "No, that's not it. Just visiting a...friend actually. Just woke up from a coma while I was there. It was quite amazing really."

"A friend huh? Well isn't that nice! Anyway, your mother and I are going on a little trip, important clients and all that. We leave next week."

Zelda felt her heart sinking. She wasn't normally taken on these trips except when Noah Daphnes wanted to impress someone, parading his family and success until they were overwhelmed. It was so far off from the confined, life-or-death world of the hospital that she cringed at the very idea. Also, she thought guiltily of Link, and the connection they had made. She had managed to calm him down today, before he managed to hurt someone, but there was no way of knowing what would happen on other days.

She swallowed nervously, her words already forming a lump in her throat. The excuse already sounded plaintive and childish. "Well, dad, you know I'm very busy with uni right now, and-"

"Zelda," a thread of steel entering his tone, "I expect you to attend."

* * *

Ilia wasn't at the front desk this time, and Zelda found herself missing her easy charm. A dour-faced woman gave her a suspicious glare when she signed the book and asked directions to Patient HL93541's new room.

"You don't know the way? There's a sign, and a map. Over there," the woman said brusquely, jerking her head in the general direction. Immediately, her eyes dismissed her, lip curling at Zelda's ignorance.

"Thank-you," Zelda managed to say sweetly. This was how she responded in these situations, enjoying the way the rude person was caught off-guard.

A nurse, obviously in a hurry, gave her a few terse directions, apologising that he didn't have time to take her there herself. Zelda then followed the corridor to the end and rounded the corner, coming upon Link's new room. She peered inside, hoping it was the right one.

"Okay, you're doing great!" said the unfamiliar voice, speaking slowly and carefully. "Now I'm going to lift up your arm, but I want you to try and stop me, okay?"

Link, half sitting up, half slumped, was being tended to by an energetic woman in yellow scrubs. As warned, she lifted his arm, and a knot of concentration formed on his forehead as he attempted to prevent the movement. And failed. Disappointment clouded his features.

The woman reached over and ruffled his hair, giving a rueful smile. "It's alright, you know."

Then, to Zelda's surprise, the patient began to speak. Slowly, tentatively, as if every word had to be constructed meticulously before entering the world.

"I...can't...do...anything."

The woman, most likely a physical therapist, sighed. "Hey, it's gonna be okay." Link made a strangled sound. "Hey, listen! You're on a journey. You're only taking the first steps. Don't expect to be at your destination straight away," the woman said firmly.

"I...can't...walk...around. Can't...talk!" his voice was getting louder now. "This-is...isn't even...my voice!"

The woman turned to a nearby nurse. "He's getting agitated. Give him something."

Zelda saw Link's hand clutch at the sheets, bunching it up in his hand. "I...d...DON'T-"

She quickly strode into the room. The boy's gaze immediately met hers, and he relaxed. "It's alright. No one's going to give you anything," she said, as slowly and carefully as his therapist. The woman nodded her assent. "If you'd rather not, Link, then we won't give you anything."

Zelda looked up, startled. "Where did you get that name?"

"From Malon. She's a nurse here, you know? Since he can't remember."

There was a sound from the bed. "I...don't...mind. The nnn-name."

Malon entered the room, laden with a clear, plastic box of equipment. "Alright, I found it Navi, now could you – oh Zelda, how are you? I'm glad you're here, really. Link seems to have taken a shine to you, especially since yesterday! You should come more often."

Zelda felt oddly protective of the coma patient she had all but adopted, which is why she hated to leave him so soon. She shook her head. "I'm leaving on a trip next week."

The woman called Navi looked concerned. "Are you sure that's wise? Travelling I mean? Especially with things in the west-"

Zelda cut her off. "It's a family thing. my father doesn't seem to think the Gerudo are much of a threat, although I hate to leave," she said, feeling those last words more acutely than she had thought she would.

"Ss. Zssh." He had trouble with z's. She could imagine the sound buzzing around in his throat, as it did in hers. "Z...selda."

"I'll be back soon. Just a week. I'll come visit then." She tried to smile, wondering at what had taken shape, the day she wandered into the ICU, the day he had woken up, only to find himself lost and without a lifeline to hold.

* * *

_She was dreaming again._

_The sky was fully clouded now, smoke rising from the ground to join with the sky._

"_It's time," said a voice. "The threat has been taken care of. We can prevent them from returning, or, we could simply...kill them. This land is in the palm of my hand. I can kill them all, on a whim, if that is my wish."_

_Then laughter, horrible, twisted laughter._

_

* * *

_**A/N - A new chapter! May you all enjoy, and let me know what you think of it. Thank-you to my reviewers, favouriters and alerters. You make me excited to write more:)**_  
_


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